Childhood vaccination rates in Mali have increased by nearly 20 percent since 2001, alongside a nearly 50 percent decrease in the mortality rate of children under 5. Despite this progress, less than half of Malian children have received all essential childhood vaccines. Vaccination coverage varies sharply across the country, due to armed conflicts that disrupt healthcare, including routine childhood immunization. A resurgence of conflict in northern Mali has created ongoing challenges in healthcare workers’ ability to deliver essential services, further exacerbating gaps in vaccination coverage.
Reaching under-vaccinated or unvaccinated children in conflict-affected areas, as well as internally displaced persons (IDPs) and those living in nomadic communities, is particularly challenging. Identifying approaches to track and reach these children is essential to comprehensive vaccination coverage in Mali, especially in the Gourma Rharous health district.
To reach these underserved people, International Medical Corps is implementing a vaccination project in Mali’s Timbuktu and Gao regions, with support from the European Union (EU).
Agaichatou Abdoulaye lives in Bamba Health Area in the Gourma Rharous health district with her family. Among her five children, the youngest is a 19-month-old boy. Last year, he had a thermal burn on the lower-third of his right forearm. Agaichatou was unsure how to find a solution. The challenging security situation, a lack of financial resources and the distance to health centers prevented Agaichatou and her family from attending health consultations.
Thankfully, International Medical Corps’ mobile medical unit (MMU) deployed to her village. As a result, Agaichatou was able to see a doctor and receive treatment.
With the arrival of this project, we have hope for our health, and above all, to see our children grow up healthy.
Agaichatou Abdoulaye
“I thank International Medical Corps,” Agaichatou says. “I feel happy and very reassured about my child’s health and the immunity of our children against various diseases through vaccination. With the arrival of this International Medical Corps project, we have hope for our health, and above all, to see our children grow up healthy.”
The EU-funded emergency health and nutrition project works closely with technical services and local authorities. International Medical Corps has integrated stakeholder participation into our program implementation. For example, we collaborated with the Gourma Rharous health district and local authorities to select the deployment locations of our MMUs. Our MMU teams consist of a doctor, midwife, vaccination agent and psychosocial worker. Our MMU deployments provide lifesaving care to people living in remote areas with limited access to healthcare. This care includes curative consultations, maternal health services such as antenatal care (ANC), vaccination services with a particular focus on varicella-zoster virus (VAR), psychosocial support, screening and management of acute malnutrition cases, and referral of complicated cases.
